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A Templar's Pride
For two miserable weeks, had Isis been confined to the limited space of the boat which she had bought a travel from. She had been forced to save her money for two whole years after hearing the news, much due to the sailors refusing to sail into "Absolutely nowhere" without due compensation. She guided Amir, her friend and lover off the boat, eager to show him the landmarks of Subaine. While a harbor city, it was hardly what it was most known for. "Welcome to Subaine, and by extension, Hetep, dear!" Isis exclaimed as they walked the docks. The country, as far as could be seen from the boat getting close, was at first glance best described as desolate. Sand as far as the eye could see, some patches of scorched earth, with a crust as hard as rock itself, and the only blue in near vicinity being the ocean itself. Yet as one got close, they would notice the numerous plantlife and trees that littered the city, making it appear as if the city had been built upon an oasis. The people at the docks all carried themselves like they owned the world. Perfectly straight backs and shoulders, chins raised and lithe steps. And all of them gave the two of them odd looks. All of them towering in stature, all of them strongly built regardless of their apparent age, and everyone had distrust painted in their eyes. Amir looked about the dock, feeling as though he had stepped into a world of giants. Their distrustful stares made him feel all the more unwelcome in the place that was turning out to be far more foreign than even he had expected. However, he knew that to Isis this was home, perhaps even a return to normalcy in some way or form. As such, he did not let his worry show and instead tried his best to feel happy for her. "It is a very beautiful place, far different from either Ishtar or Vroldafn. Though, I feel more eyes on me than I would like, rather prying." Amir said, sticking close to Isis as his only source of familiarity in the strange and completely unfamiliar world he'd stepped into. "How does it feel to be back home?" Isis appeared to be pulled down to earth, away from her ecstatic high when he asked his question. "I am happy to be back, to see my home again. Yet... Yet I am a bit afraid of what we may see. The news from my father did not sound all that great." She said as she took his arm in hers and began to guide him down the docks and towards the city itself. "Our temple was razed, along with sacred sites all over the continent. Who knows what Amen has been up to since last we heard of him... Just remember, try to be a bit restrained with your voice until we meet my father, okay? You may have learned our tongue, but they may not be too keen on an outsider on our shores without his approval first. With his word as a Godsent Templar and Subaines Regent, we shouldn't have much trouble afterwards." As they neared the end of the docks, Isis was taken aback by what she saw. At the end of it stood a company of Templars, all of them armed to the teeth and only minutes away from shaping up a phalanx and drawing their weapons. "Foreigner! The woman who was assumedly the captain of the company called out in the mother tongue of Hetep. "You are under order of the Regent of Subaine to turn back and leave this instant. Fail to comply and you shall be met by the Wrath of the Heavens!" Isis let go of Amir and simply whispered for him to stay back for the moment. "Templars!" Isis called back, taking them aback ever so slightly to be adressed in turn. "Before you stands Isis Madu of the Templar Order of the Setting Retribution! I request an audience with the Regent Khepri Madu." The templars began to look towards one another in disbelief and doubt, and the bystanders gazes softened at the mention of the name and order. Isis thought herself in control for but a moment before the Woman replied: "Do not try to deceive us, foreigner! Isis Madu was declared Killed In Action three years ago, her remains torched by the Setting Sun temple by the priesthood!" Isis gaze widened. She pressed on. "And yet, I am standing before you! Did you see my "remains"? Did you see me fall on the field of battle? What proof do you have?" "The word of Khepri Madu!" The templar cried back, visibly getting frustrated by this conversation. "He witnessed her corpse, he put it to the torch, he declared her dead, along with the rest of the Setting Retribution!" The last words stung at Isis' heart. She fell to her knees in disbelief. Her eyes stung with tears not shed. She could barely get her words out as she whispered: "My company... My comrades... Dead...?" She sounded to be in shock. She looked back at the Templar Officer and steeled her voice in a final attempt to reason, yet sorrow echoed in her tone. "Then bring me before him! If you must, tell him that an imposter stands before you, that ought to get his attention." "You insolent-!" "Captain..." Another voice interjected. "She has made a request, and it would bode ill to execute them. We should bring them in chains, let our master decide their fate." "...Your argument is sound. Chain them!" The men of the templar order approached with cuffs and long chains, and as they approached, Isis whispered to her lover: "Allow it. Trust me." She said as they were both cuffed and tugged away from the docks and towards the Madu mansion. As they walked, she felt the tears threatening to push through, but she kept fighting them. "I am sorry Amir. This was not how I intended for us to start our journey..." Amir watched the situation unfold as though he were looking at it from the outside in, feeling truly helpless to do anything even with his weapon strung across his back. He didn't know what was right or if he could do anything that wouldn't see them both dead before the truest stretch of their journey had even begun. He could only barely follow all that they were saying and when Isis fell to her knees he could do little but move closer, not wanting to disobey her order to stay back but unable to do nothing at all. Despite the confusion, he could tell a call to arrest when he heard one, the sight of cuffs held in the hands of the approaching Templars confirming his fears. He swallowed hard and his hand moved in order to grasp at the Bo on his back but Isis' soft voice stopped him and he allowed his hands to be bound and his staff taken away. With a forceful push against his back, he was forced to walk forward. "There's no need to apologize just yet, nothing ever really goes the way we intend it to after all. We're not being executed on the spot so there is a shining light of hope in this situation..." a lack of confidence in his voice. "Things are gonna get better. I am sure of it. As soon as my father sees me, they will all see reason." SHe said as they were being dragged away, fearing for their fates herself, just not showing it. "I can't believe what I heard. My whole company is dead..." She whispered in disbelief As they walked, she nodded to many of the landmarks of the city. The public menagerie, the citadel, where their old temple used to stand, and their spice fields. Then as they approached the mansion of the Madu family, she noticed a blank space in the middle of the square. "See there in the middle? There used to be a grand obelisk standing there once. One dedicated to the god of the sun, Galeer. It is the patron deity of Subaine as well as to the king, Amen Heqet? How far gone is he to raze such a sacred monument to his own god?" As they kept walking, she noticed more and more of their once sacred places had been leveled to the ground, everything of worth claimed for whatever project or purpose he had in mind. She made sure to describe each monument in detail, despite them not being there to be beheld anymore. When they at last appeared before the mansion, a palace in and of itself, made from pristine alabaster and sandstone. The captain knocked on the front door, calling for whoever was within. Soon the door opened, and out strode a colossus of a man. Barely humanoid in appearance, his state was highly insectoid, with a carapace that covered his chest, back and shoulder, with a grand green headdress on his noggin and clad in simple robes. "Have the intruders been dealt with?" Khepri asked, his voice booming and commanding. The captain immediately fell to her knees as she was adressed. "Negative, oh gracious one. They demanded an audience with you." "Worms have no right to make demands." Was all he had to say to that. "Sire, this one claims to go under-" "I care not for the names or identities of vermin. I will have their blood on the square's pavement before sunset, understoo-!" "Father!" Isis cried out, not able to contain herself anymore hearing him speak. It was so unfamiliar. He had always been a benevolent and kind being. So to hear him speak so casually about executions and bloodshed was most unnerving. A templar tugged fiercely on her chains, making her stumble forward before being roughly smashed in the forehead by the soldier's shield. "DO NOT SPEAK UNLESS-!" "Hold." The insectoid man commanded before approaching them. As he got close, the size difference between him and everyone else became abundantly clear. He stood before Isis, ignoring Amir for the moment as he sized her up and watched her every detail. His temporarily softened features then turned stern. "You dare present yourself as my beloved daughter? You disgrace both me and her memory." "Father, please, it is me-" She began as she was interrupted by a hard slap to the face that made her reel. "Mention that name or adress yourself as that again and I will have not only your head, but I will take joy in tearing it off myself. My child is dead, burned to ashes as she so deserved. Take them away!" He commanded, turning around and walking away as they began to walk away with them, yet Isis held firm, not bending. It was made clear that she had only allowed herself to be dragged, for her strength was well above theirs. "You may not like it, to get your hopes up or to have your memory invoked, yet I am her. For as long as stars do shine." The man halted in his step. Slowly he turned around, barely daring to look behind himself. As he turned around, his face was painted with disbelief. He stepped up to Isis once more, placing his giant hand over the reddening spot where he had slapped her, as if to feel if it was truly her while looking into her eyes. After a few moments of just standing still, tears began to flow from his eyes. "My child..." He said as he fell to his knees, placing his hands on her shackles and tearing them open before embracing his daughter. "I can't believe it..." She embraced him and turn, tears finally running down her eyes. When they finally parted, she immediately turned around, looking to Amir, still shackled by the wrists. "Templars, release him!" "You do not-" "Heed her words." Was all he said on the matter. They quickly released Amir and backed away. "You are dismissed, Templars. Child, come with me. Your... companion may do so as well." Isis and Amir followed the man into the building. It was as grand as the outside, and the decor did it thoroughly justice, with finely woven mats and tapestries of grand histories and paintings of their family when she was yet a youngin. "Welcome home, my dear. And... Whoever this is." The man's thunderous voice reverberated through Amir's very bones, the angry tone that seemed to threaten to rip both of them apart was not what he had expected to hear from a man who had not seen his daughter in ages. Yet even so, it was all felt natural, as though it were just another part of the downward spiral that had started the moment they set foot from their ship onto the soil of Hetep. However, Amir was able to breathe a sigh of relief when his tone softened and Isis embraced her father. Before he knew it, his hands were freed from the current chains they had been bound in. He rubbed at his wrists, sore from the chains that had tightly held them together before the sound of metal clanking against the ground caught his attention. His short Bo having been thrown to the ground in front of him before the Templars walked away. Returning it to his back, he heeded the words of Isis' father and followed the two of them into their home. As they walked through the large mansion, Amir looked about with silent awe, the grand decor and just short of gaudy nature that seemed to inhabit every inch of the country that he had gotten to see thus far. As the man welcomed Isis home and acknowledged Amir for the first time in a while, Amir bowed lightly hoping that the sign of respect would be taken as such as he tried to find the correct words to introduce himself with. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Sir. I am Amir Tasya and I hail from a faraway continent across the ocean. I am, well...a close friend of your daughter, Sir." Amir spoke in their native tongue to the best of his ability, knowing he was still far from fluent. "Across the ocean? I was not aware that there was anything beyond the seas. All the same, I will say that your pronunciation of our language is impressive. Your doing, I assume?" He asked as he turned to Isis, with a smile. "Yes. I... I tried to import some of our culture and native traditions to Ashvattha in an attempt to make it feel a bit more like home." "Did you now? If you missed home, why didn't you simply return to us?" "I... After the nations were conquered by Khemriq, I felt that my home was no more. It didn't help matters that Amen had appointed me as his personal guard back there. Turning from him would not have been met with kindness, so I left instead, hoping to come back with new knowledge and help so we can take it back from him." "Take it back? Isis... I would advice that you forsake such aspirations. Amen cannot be opposed. He cannot be stopped." He spoke with a defeated tone, looking to the floor. "All we can do is relent and hope he does not punish us further." "Relent!? How can you say that after he have destroyed so many of our sacred sites!?" "Becuase they are merely sites. Constructs. Buildings that can be rebuilt in time. Lives are not possible to be rebuilt. Did you think about what it is that could possibly have killed your company?" "I just assumed... You can't possibly..." "Amen had them all killed. When they supposedly attempted to dethrone him for his actions, he responded by killing off the lot of them. It was shortly after that moment when me and your mother saw your 'body'. It was this event which made us and many other kingdoms to rise up against Khemriq. We failed. He crushed our forces in the field, demoralizing our troops and the other uninvolved kingdoms, crushing our rebellion before it had barely even begun. It was then that I lost..." He trailed away in his sentence before recomposing himself. "It does not matter. We cannot stop him. He is beyond what anyone can deal with. The moment he started to raze the monuments and killed their templars he also managed to terrify the priesthood into nigh submission. I implore you, Isis: I lost you once. Don't force me to watch you being lost again... You old room is untouched. You and your friend can reside there until dinner. Make yourself at home. We can talk more later." "I... Yes, father." She replied with a short bow. As her father walked away she led Amir away through the halls towards her old room. When they were deemed to be properly out of ear-range, she began to speak once more. "I cannot believe this. Amen have messed things up far worse than I could ever imagine. Even father is scared shitless of him!" A lump began to form in Amir's throat as Isis' father spoke of the things that had happened to their country and people in Isis' absence. How easily their own hopes of rebellion had been crushed and buried beneath the sands. He looked at his beloved with concern, fearing that such disparaging words may make her feel as though all her hard work and the long journey to return to her home was all for naught. The way his own father had spoken of Amen, Amir did not want to believe that he could be responsible for such atrocities but he didn't have any other explanation he could come up with either. As they walked down the halls in silence, Amir wondered what he could possibly say to cheer Isis up, to do whatever he could to keep her spark alive in the face of overwhelming odds. As she spoke, he nodded understandingly, finding the break in the silence a bit comforting even if her words ultimately were not. He reached out, placing a hand upon her shoulder. "Things may be worse than you had feared but I know you aren't the type to be so easily discouraged, Lah'mi." He spoke in a soft tone before letting out a quiet sigh, "But your father is correct. Monuments, towers, statues, and all can be rebuilt. They can be remade, they aren't lost forever, but people cannot and once they are gone that is it. In saying that I understand that there is a clear difference between truly being able to live and just surviving with what you're allowed. Nothing really changes until people make them change, fear can only control people for so long. Maybe the answer isn't full-scale rebellion? A Coup, perhaps? I don't know..." Isis considered the prospect as he mentioned it. "Yes, of course, I know as much, it just... I don't understand this. I knew that he and his kingdom were strong, but this strong? And I don't think you quite realize how important these monuments are. Do you know the term and philosophy of: As long as we remember them, they are never truly gone? It is quite literal for us. So to destroy them is to destroy their memory, their heritage. It's... Unacceptable... I think you are right. Something is very wrong if he had the strength to combat away so many kingdoms and even Godsends. It feels to disingenuous, so wrong, but I don't think we are left with much choice in the matter. A subtle approach might be our only solution." She spoke as they walked the halls until they reached the area which held her room. As they got close, she started to blush. "Oh dear me... Okay, so this is a bit embarrassing, but bear with me." She spoke as they came to the door leading to her room. A door that was brazenly pink. Hesitating on the doorknob, she twisted it and opened up the path to her room. The interior was larger than any child's room had the right to be, almost the size of an apartment back in Hylion. Every corner and cranny of her room was littered with posters and tapestries of various Templars, musicals, artists, and at the front of the room stood a simple desk with a selection of books and writing utensils, and her front wall was filled with paintings and images of her father and her, standing triumphantly on fields of battle, imagined as well as real. Add with that the paintings of her family and primarily her dad on her desk, one could easily tell that she had been a bit of a daddy's girl. Not to mention her bed. That gaudy, atrocious lavender bed with pink blossom patterns, and a selection of her old stuffed animals from when she had been really young, ranging from obscenely "Cute-ified" snakes, toads and cats. The rooms decor might not have been that bad with just one or two of these aspects, but all of them together felt like an eye-sore to her as she stepped inside. "I... Well... My room!" She tried to sound enthusiastic with some dramatic waves of her hands as if that would hide or draw away attention from the interior. Amir couldn't help but smirk a bit at Isis' embarrassment, finding it somewhat uplifting given the rather dire situations they had been put into so far. "It's certainly...large," He said at first as he entered the room and moved his head to look around. "It must be like a blast from the past for you. It is certainly an insight into what a much younger Isis might have been like." He continued with a titter as he picked up one of the fluffy stuffed animals that occupied her bed and squeezing it gently only to receive a small cloud of dust that came off the plushy. He coughed a bit, only now realizing something like that was to be expected. "They-" he waved the dust from his face with a few more coughs. "They're quite cute." "I suppose, but they are still a bit embarrassing to show off." She groaned as she sat herself down on her bed, which was considerably cleaner than her stuffed animals. "I had hoped to show you the good of Hetep before being thrust into the harshness of it all. Show you a proper temple, maybe let you partake in some of our customs and rituals. I guess it was just not meant to be. At least not yet..." She sighed as she laid down on her bed. "I don't know what to do now, Amir. I had this idea of conquest and liberation. If these accounts are to be trusted, then that won't be enough. I know I said that I agree with a Coup being our best option, I just don't know how to do or lead one... We are going to need help. Some big, big help." She said as she looked away from her roof and towards Amir, reaching out a hand towards him. "At least I still have you with me. My pillar and comfort." Trying to put on a brave smile, not wanting to show too much of the despair she was feeling. Amir sat on the bed, taking Isis' hand into his own and bringing it to his lips. "All will be good and well in the end so long as we still have one another." He said sweetly, a warm smile on his face before his eyes averted and his smile shifted into a thoughtful frown. "If the awful things that have been said are indeed true then I doubt that every man or women near Amen are as loyal as he might like. I know fear and faith can be powerful things but in the end, people are still people and they'll do what benefits them. If there is anyone within the higher ranks of the government you trust, honestly, you need not even trust them. Anyone in the government that might benefit from seeing Amen lose power. Convincing that person to help would be the first step. I only know what I know about politics from my father, but it seems to be as wild and dangerous a place to find yourself as any battlefield, maybe even worse. A friend one day may very easily stick a knife in your back the next. Stakes mean nothing when the prize is high enough." Amir explained, his tone unlike his normal self. "Is there someone in mind that may make a good turncoat" "Agreed. Ordinarily, I would say that I disagree with that statement on people, but seeing all the things he has done so far, I can't imagine that many are as good of spirit towards him anymore. As for who... I know a few, hopefully. The regent of the Divine Kingdom Ahmn'Harcet, King Amon Ra. He was one of our most faithful and wise regents in Hetep, unsurprisingly. Our hope with him would be connected to whether he has already participated or not. If he was part of the initial rebellion, he might be a bit too fearful to engage in any form again. Beyond him... There is a queen of the central kingdom Marqant, Seraphine Eden. She has always been seen as benevolent and kind, and she would make a valuable ally if she would lend her name to us. Then there is Kophalesh not far from here. He has always been opposed to Amen's ascension to royalty and beyond. He is not the strongest of kings, but he is well respected and wealthy, with many insights to the kingdoms. The best option, however, would be to convince the Priesthood to man up and lend voice and name to our cause. Who knows if they will though." A glimmer of hope was revived in Amir with a smile returning to his face, Isis listing off more names and possibilities than he thought they would have. "We will never know for sure until we've tried." He said with a squeeze of her hand. "Looking at it from a tactical point of view, getting Amon, Eden, and Kophalesh on our side would be best before approaching the priesthood. I do not wish to speak ill of them, but having the support of more powerful people than ourselves might make it easier for them to align themselves with us. For a coup to work, Amen cannot know rebellion has risen until it is far too late for armies to be of any use. If he finds out beforehand, we would likely be crushed before we can get all of our pieces into position. It may be a lot to hope for, but I would like for no other blood than Amen's to be spilled, not even his if possible. A bloodless coup sounds crazy, but that just means he won't expect it either, right?" Amir asked, realizing he may have been rambling. "I apologize, I suppose I'm getting too far ahead of myself. I would only like to see peace resorted to the place you love so dearly... Before more is lost." Isis leaned up from her spot on the bed to give her love a small peck on the lips. "Thank you for being so supportive in this. I share the sentiment that no one should have to die except for Amen if anyone. It is important that we handle this with care. Maybe father can indulge some further questions for us. Who has fought, who has sided with who, what the materials are being used for. We can plan thereafter." She said before there was a knock on the door. "M'lady, dinner is finished in about ten minutes." Came the call of one of the servants of the house before footsteps were heard that was walking away. "Seems like we will have our chance soon. You have more political experience than I, and with your inexperience of my home, if you ask the questions, he might chalk it up to just a 'foreigners curiosity'. Come now, babe. Lets meet with him in proper." As they walked back from hence they came. Some few corridors further and they eventually reached the dining room, though it was more honestly akin to a dining hall. On the head seat sat her father, awaiting them. "I will sit on the right side with him. Sit right opposite of me, will make him less suspicious of us." She whispered. As they sat themselves down, Khepri appeared visibly displeased. "Did you not tell your companion that it is inappropriate to sit on such an important seat without invitation to do so?" "I did. But seeing as I should still be a full-fledged lady of this house, I invited him there myself. If you are uneasy with that arrangement, he could always sit beside me." He merely shook his carapaced head at that. "No, it is not necessary. Sit down, young man." he said with a wave. Amir bowed his head, "Thank you, Sir." He said, allowing himself to settle into his seat, trying to think of how he could start a conversation with the rather large man without making it awkward or overstepping his bounds. He quietly cleared his throat, trying not to make his nervous disposition obvious. "I would like to thank you again, Sir, for allowing me into your home. Isis has told me that at the moment your country seems to be struggling with both political and religious affairs. She has told me what she could but as she has been away for quite some time the current state of affairs is something I know very little about. If it is not too difficult for you to talk about, I was hoping that you may be able to tell me more about what has happened here in Isis' absence? I would be more than happy to compensate with stories of my own country if you're interested?" Amir played his hand, not knowing Khepri at all but knowing he was more likely to get something by offering something in return than by offering nothing at all. "Sounds interesting... I may just take you up on that." He said, though his voice did not reveal any form of amusement, intrigue or anything, merely apathy, as if he was still considering something. "Where to begin... I don't know how long you've been gone to begin with, so it would be hard to say how-" "Twelve years." Isis interjected. Khepri felt stunned by that revelation. "Twelve years... Twelve whole years... I must say that I am a bit wounded that you would not tell me sooner, let me know that everything was well... But I suppose that can wait for the moment. If we date things back twelve years, the kingdoms flourished. Within short, all kings were almost ready to surrender their crowns so that he could truly claim the title of Pharaoh, one he had only claimed ever so prematurely. People were happy under his reign... Everyone prospered and there was no ill will towards him anymore. Then one day he fell into despair about six years ago. He didn't leave his quarters for a fortnight, and it was said that he was not himself after he came out. More than a year later, he left the kingdom, to destinations unknown. Gone for a year, he then returned. It was about then he began to tear down the monuments in order to construct his new pyramid-" "He destroyed all these places for a pyramid? Shouldn't he have been done with it for years now? How many is he making?" Isis interrupted, looking shocked. How could one Pyramid require so much materials? "A single one... I have yet to see it with my own eyes, but it is said to rival his own city in sheer size, casting its shadow over his citadel and city, blotting out the sun. I also hear that it is almost completed... Hopefully it will all end afterwards."